Hala Ayala

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Hala Ayala
Image of Hala Ayala
Prior offices
Virginia House of Delegates District 51
Successor: Briana Sewell

Elections and appointments
Last election

June 20, 2023

Personal
Profession
Cyber Security Specialist
Contact

Hala Ayala (Democratic Party) was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 51. She assumed office in 2018. She left office on January 12, 2022.

Ayala (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Virginia State Senate to represent District 33. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 20, 2023.

Biography

Ayala's professional experience includes working as a cybersecurity specialist with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She founded and has served as president of Prince William County's chapter of the National Organization for Women. She has served on Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe's (D) Advisory Council on Women.[1] In 2017, Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman were the first Hispanic women in the state's history to be elected to the House of Delegates.[2]

Committee assignments

2020-2021

Ayala was assigned to the following committees:

2019-2020

Ayala was assigned to the following committees:


The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2023

See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2023

General election

General election for Virginia State Senate District 33

Jennifer D. Carroll Foy defeated Michael Van Meter in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 33 on November 7, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Jennifer_Foy.PNG
Jennifer D. Carroll Foy (D)
 
62.8
 
35,003
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/MichaelVanMeter.jpg
Michael Van Meter (R) Candidate Connection
 
36.9
 
20,525
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
169

Total votes: 55,697
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 33

Jennifer D. Carroll Foy defeated Hala Ayala in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 33 on June 20, 2023.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Jennifer_Foy.PNG
Jennifer D. Carroll Foy
 
62.8
 
9,627
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/H0290.jpg
Hala Ayala
 
37.2
 
5,691

Total votes: 15,318
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Michael Van Meter advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia State Senate District 33.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ayala in this election.

2021

See also: Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2021

Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021 (June 8 Democratic primary)

Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2021 (May 8 Republican convention)

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Winsome Sears defeated Hala Ayala in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Winsome_Sears.jpeg
Winsome Sears (R)
 
50.7
 
1,658,767
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/H0290.jpg
Hala Ayala (D)
 
49.2
 
1,608,691
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
3,808

Total votes: 3,271,266
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on June 8, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/H0290.jpg
Hala Ayala
 
37.6
 
181,168
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Sam_Rasoul_20240311_023547.png
Sam Rasoul
 
24.3
 
116,816
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Mark_Levine.jpg
Mark Levine
 
11.2
 
53,735
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Andria_McClellan_Official.png
Andria McClellan
 
10.6
 
51,015
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Sean_Perryman.jpg
Sean Perryman Candidate Connection
 
8.1
 
38,925
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Xavier_Warren.jpg
Xavier Warren
 
4.1
 
19,903
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Elizabeth_GuzmanVA.png
Elizabeth Guzman (Unofficially withdrew)
 
4.1
 
19,803

Total votes: 481,365
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican convention

Republican Convention for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Winsome Sears in round 5 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.


Total votes: 12,555
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profile

Image of Hala Ayala

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Virginia House of Delegates (Assumed office: 2018)

Biography:  Ayala worked as a cybersecurity analyst for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2018 to represent District 51. She was part of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s (D) Council of Women.



Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.


 Ayala said she was "proud to lead the effort to pass the most progressive legislation in Virginia’s history, including marijuana legalization, the Virginia Clean Economy Act, and Governor Northam’s G3 program to help with college affordability and to promote job growth in our high-demand industries."


Ayala said she supports expanding Pre-K, reducing overcrowding in classrooms, and investing in school infrastructure.


Ayala said that as lieutenant governor, she would expand access to healthcare by implementing a state reinsurance program, strengthen Medicaid by creating a statewide Medicaid buy-in option, and provide financial support for struggling families.


Show sources

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2021.


2019

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2019

General election

General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 51

Incumbent Hala Ayala defeated Richard Anderson in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 51 on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/H0290.jpg
Hala Ayala (D)
 
54.6
 
15,508
Image of https://s3.amazonaws.com/ballotpedia-api4/files/thumbs/100/100/Richard_Anderson.png
Richard Anderson (R)
 
45.3
 
12,882
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
24

Total votes: 28,414
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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2017

See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2017

General election

Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[3] Hala Ayala (D) defeated incumbent Richard Anderson (R) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 51 general election.[4]

Virginia House of Delegates, District 51 General Election, 2017
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.png Hala Ayala 53.08% 15,244
     Republican Richard Anderson Incumbent 46.92% 13,476
Total Votes 28,720
Source: Virginia Department of Elections

Democratic primary election

Hala Ayala defeated Kenny Boddye in the Virginia House of Delegates District 51 Democratic primary.[5]

Virginia House of Delegates, District 51 Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Hala Ayala 66.33% 3,695
Kenny Boddye 33.67% 1,876
Total Votes 5,571

Republican primary election

Incumbent Richard Anderson ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 51 Republican primary.[6]

Ballotpedia will publish vote totals here after they become available.
Virginia House of Delegates, District 51 Republican Primary, 2017
Candidate
Green check mark transparent.png Richard Anderson Incumbent

Campaign themes

2023

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Hala Ayala did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

2021

Hala Ayala did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Ayala’s campaign website stated the following:

  • Healthcare
When Hala’s son was born, her job at the time offered no health insurance. When her newborn son experienced health complications, Hala was able to get care through Medicaid -- and it saved his life. That’s why she’s fighting for access to affordable healthcare for all Virginians.
In 2018, Hala made good on her campaign promise as a deciding vote in the House of Delegates to expand Medicaid to more than 400,000 Virginians and stood up against Republican attempts to repeal protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Hala was so proud to stand with Governor Northam, activists, and her colleagues during this historic moment.
COVID-19 has laid bare so many inequities in our healthcare system, and we must take steps to address access to care for those who have been hardest hit during this public health crisis. That’s why Hala co-patron legislation to expand our Commonwealth’s vaccine capacity, cap the price of insulin and inhalers at $50, expand access to telehealth, and provide transparency in prescription drug costs.
We have made great strides in providing healthcare for Virginians, but there is still so much work to be done. As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will ensure Medicaid funding is continued and work to expand access to coverage for all communities. She will also work with the Federal Government to increase subsidies and lower premiums, and work to lower the cost of prescription drugs because no family should be one sickness away from bankruptcy.
  • Jobs and the economy
Hala knows firsthand how thin that bridge is between struggle and success for so many Virginians. After her family struggled when she was a child and barely making ends meet working at a gas station when her own first child was born, she was able to build a successful career with just a few college credits and a government certification training, working in national security as a cyber specialist with the Department of Homeland Security.
As Virginia charges ahead into the 21st century, we need to invest in building and training our workforce to make sure our citizens have the skills they need to be successful no matter the color of their skin or gender. Hala’s successful career in one of the sectors leading Virginia’s economy into the future makes her uniquely qualified to oversee this transition as Lieutenant Governor.
When Hala’s son was born, he had severe health issues that required intensive care, and she did not have access to paid leave through her job at the gas station. Having access to paid family and medical leave would have been life-changing. That is why Hala patroned the paid family and medical legislation, which would provide every Virginian worker with 12 weeks of paid leave for major events such as an adoption or childbirth. A majority of small business owners even backed her legislation because they know that this would help their workers and their bottom lines.
We need to focus on an inclusive economy that ensures every Virginian can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. The economic stresses so many families face have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for Black and Brown Virginians. The cost of living is rising here in Virginia, and our minimum wage needs to keep up. Furthermore, our Commonwealth needs to invest in affordable housing and combat the economic factors that price families out of neighborhoods they’ve lived in for generations.
Hala’s son is a member of the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union and works at a local grocery store on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. So many Virginians have made sacrifices to get a paycheck during this crisis, and we need to do so much more to protect our workers. That’s why Hala introduced a bill mandating hazard pay for essential workers to ensure they get the support they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will lead the recovery to make sure Virginians can return to work safely and provide small business owners with the support they need to recover.
  • Education
Hala grew up attending Prince William public schools and is the former president of her local parent-teacher organization. She graduated from Woodbridge High, where her kids also attended.
As Delegate, Hala has strengthened our schools and helped our teachers and administrators to ensure our children are getting the best education possible. In the General Assembly, she authored budget amendments to increase funding for special education students, like her son. She also introduced a budget amendment to give teachers a well-deserved 2% pay raise to ensure the best talent can remain in the Commonwealth.
Schools are the building blocks to success for Virginia’s future, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more clear we need to focus our energy on giving our teachers and students the tools they need. We need to give our teachers resources to work with students who have a range of needs, and we need to retain and recruit the best teachers we can.
As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will focus heavily on our education system. She will work with the Administration and General Assembly to expand Pre-K, reduce overcrowding in classrooms, and invest in school infrastructure.
Hala also understands that every families’ path to prosperity looks different. In 2013, she completed her college degree online, leveraging tuition assistance from her employer, while working full time — so she knows from personal experience how challenging it can be to get a college degree, and the financial barriers that make this unrealistic for so many Virginians. As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will support measures to make college more affordable for all Virginians as well as lead the charge to create and improve training programs for those who choose not to attend a four-year college. In the General Assembly, Hala co-patroned legislation to establish Governor Northam’s G3 program--Get Skilled, Get a Job, and Give Back. This program provides 2 years of free community for students who train in high demand professions like information technology and medicine. Right now we have thousands unfilled, high-paying jobs in Northern Virginia. The G3 program will create a pipeline to fill these positions and ensure equity in our education system. As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will support an expansion of this program as well as increased funding apprenticeship and internship programs, as well as career and technical education certificates. We need to increase funding for these programs throughout the state to show that successful career paths come in many different routes.
  • Transportation and infrastructure
As a single mom who commuted over two, and sometimes three, hours everyday to work for years, Hala understands firsthand the balancing act so many families in Virginia face when it comes to getting to work and caring for their families.
In the House of Delegates, Hala worked to increase funding for the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) so commuters would have viable alternative transportation options.
However, this daily disruption extends past the D.C Metro area and Northern Virginia. Our transportation issues impact so many commuters in the Richmond and Hampton Roads metro areas as well. Across Virginia, our aging infrastructure makes it harder for our citizens to prosper. We need to invest in our Commonwealth and address infrastructure needs in rural, suburban, and urban communities.
Hala recognizes this is a quality of life issue for so many Virginians and that is why as Lieutenant Governor she will work to expand and improve public transportation, and invest in rebuilding our historic bridges, roads, and highways.
Investing in infrastructure also requires a digital component. As we saw during COVID-19, internet access has become a necessity for so many occupations, and especially K-12 schooling, and it must be accessible to all Virginians. As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will be focused on bridging the digital divide in our state that affects so many Virginians. Broadband access is a matter of equity and as a cybersecurity expert, Hala is uniquely positioned to lay the foundation for extensive and scalable broadband access.
  • Criminal justice reform
Hala is a woman of color and the mother of two Black children and is acutely aware of the painful systemic racism and injustices that have plagued our justice system for centuries. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests, Hala joined her community and marched for justice.
We need reforms to ensure accountability and transparency and to prevent uses of excessive force that have led to the unjustified deaths of Black and Brown men, women, and children. To move forward as a Commonwealth, we must reform our justice system, create alternatives to the school to prison pipeline.In the 2020 special session, Hala worked with her colleagues in the Black Caucus to present an aggressive legislative agenda addressing criminal justice reform in the Commonwealth. This includes banning no knock warrants, creating civilian review boards, establishing a statewide code of conduct for police officers, and mandating racial bias, de-escalation, and crisis intervention training for police.
This session, Hala worked with her colleagues and leadership in the General Assembly to continue advocating for criminal justice reform. She co-patroned several pieces of legislation, including bills to legalize marijuana, to abolish the death penalty, to automatically expunge non-violent marijuana offenses, and to restore rights to our returning citizens.
There is a lot of work to do to heal the wounds that still exist in our Commonwealth from the legacy of slavery and the violence that Black and Brown Americans experience every day. As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will lead the way on these reforms and use her national security background to make sure every community is safe and help our communities begin to heal.
  • Climate change
As a lifelong Virginian, Hala has a deep appreciation for the diverse geography and wildlife of the Commonwealth. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia is home to some of the most beautiful sights in the nation. With over 60 state and national parks, our natural resources are the pride and joy of our Commonwealth.
But climate change poses a real threat to our waterways and mountains, our public health, and our way of life. Flooding and coastal erosion threatens our homeowners and small businesses and one bad storm could wipe out someone’s life savings. Furthermore, the effects of climate change disproportionately affect Black and Brown communities and in addressing environmental matters, we need to view them through a racial equity lens.
Climate change is also a national security threat. Virginia is home to 27 military bases, many of them coastal. We cannot leave the fate of our military to rising sea levels.
In the House of Delegates, Hala worked closely with environmental activists and stakeholders to codify Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), bringing millions of dollars to the Commonwealth for coastal resiliency and to combat climate change. She also was a co-patron on the Virginia Clean Economy Act. This landmark environmental legislation will create nearly 13,000 jobs per year in Virginia’s Advanced Energy economy, eliminates all harmful carbon emissions from Virginia utilities by 2050, and expands access to solar and wind energy. Nearly 3 out of 4 Virginians supported this legislation.
We must act quickly to combat climate change, and as Lieutenant Governor, Hala is ready to continue her work in this area. Hala will work to ensure our Commonwealth can transition to clean energy like solar and wind, protect communities who are impacted by flooding, and make sure every Virginian has access to clean air and clean drinking water.
  • Women's rights
Hala has spent almost a decade as a women’s rights activist. She helped organize Virginia’s participation in the Women’s March after Donald Trump’s election and founded the Prince William chapter of the National Organization for Women. In 2020, she was the Chief co-patron on the bill that made Virginia the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to help enshrine women’s equality into the U.S. Constitution.
While we have made great strides in creating a more equitable Virginia for women, there is much work to be done, especially for Black and Brown women. That’s why Hala introduced a bill to help address fetal and infant mortality rates throughout the Commonwealth, with a focus on racial disparities. She also is fighting for paid family leave, because no one should worry about what happens to their job if they need to care for a loved one or newborn baby..
As Lieutenant Governor, Hala will continue to fight for women’s health care. She will work to expand access to birth control and contraception, and defend a woman's right to choose. Furthermore, she will support policies and legislation that will create equity in the workplace and ensure equal pay for equal work, so women who work the same job as men can earn the same living.[7]
—Hala Ayala's campaign website (2021)[8]


2019

Hala Ayala did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.

Endorsements

2017

In 2017, Ayala’s endorsements included the following:

  • Virginia's List[9]
  • Emily's List[10]
  • NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia[11]
  • National Organization for Women-Virginia Chapter[12]

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Virginia

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to [email protected].




2021

In 2021, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 to February 8.

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills the organization chose to evaluate.
Legislators are scored based on their voting record on reproductive issues.
Legislators are scored based on their votes on small business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored by the Family Foundation on their votes on bills related to "principles of life, marriage, parental authority, constitutional government and religious liberty."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to the Second Amendment.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to education.


2020


2019


2018




See also


External links

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by
-
Virginia House of Delegates District 51
2018-2022
Succeeded by
Briana Sewell (D)


Current members of the Virginia State Senate
Leadership
Majority Leader:Scott Surovell
Minority Leader:Ryan McDougle
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
District 33
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
Democratic Party (21)
Republican Party (19)